RPM Challenge: Well, did you finish? [more inside] posted by ropeladder at 8:59 PM PST - 10 comments

This is a cover of the jazz standard. I sing and play upright bass, and have a buddy on guitar. [more inside]

posted by nonmyopicdave at 10:21 AM PST - 4 comments

3 of 11 of cornfield [more inside]

posted by pyramid termite at 5:48 AM PST - 0 comments

One day a stupid (but catchy) line got stuck in my head, so I had to make a song out of it. [more inside]

posted by baxter_ilion at 1:42 AM PST - 3 comments

The original broadside dates to his execution in 1701. [more inside]

posted by blue bar at 10:19 PM PST - 2 comments

Lead-off track from my new RPM album, Inchoatery. I'm still getting my ducks in a row as far as the album's proper home on my music blog, but I'm pretty happy with what I came up with and I wanted to share. [more inside]

posted by cortex at 8:38 PM PST - 6 comments

A cover of the Patsy Cline song, recorded (in slightly better quality that my previous uploads!) at our rehearsal on Friday.

posted by ocherdraco at 5:48 PM PST - 2 comments

The opening track from our RPM 2010 double album, Demons of Gyrophonia & the Rotatable Tremulant All-Stars. [more inside]

posted by askmeaboutLOOM at 1:51 PM PST - 1 comments

Love song meets murder ballad. [more inside]

posted by Jon-A-Thon at 4:14 AM PST - 2 comments

In which I attempt to write a new Murder Ballad. [more inside]

posted by chococat at 6:11 PM PST - 9 comments

A bit of terrible Friday inscrutability, for all my friends at MeFi Music.

posted by ford and the prefects at 5:40 PM PST - 0 comments

Old Cowboy Song that I sung with my sister [more inside]

posted by IngeChiles at 3:42 PM PST - 2 comments

song 2 of 11 of cornfield [more inside]

posted by pyramid termite at 5:36 AM PST - 0 comments

I wrote this after attending a concert late last year. Just finished (?) the recording. It's kind of a tribute to the musician I saw -- maybe you can guess who it is? Either way, it's a track that features guitars, pianos, fretless bass, vibes, drums, vocals and a lap steel part in the chorus that I'm really satisfied with. [more inside]

posted by edlundart at 9:15 PM PST - 6 comments

An old murder ballad that's always intrigued me, for some reason. [more inside]

posted by askmeaboutLOOM at 1:12 PM PST - 2 comments

song 1 of 11 of my new rpm album, cornfield - it's in the mail right now, but you get to hear it first [more inside]

posted by pyramid termite at 9:12 PM PST - 1 comments

Inspired by this post, I've put together a doom metal-ish arrangement of Badalamenti's piece. [more inside]

posted by evisceratordeath at 8:35 PM PST - 2 comments

I apologise upfront if this is a bit outre for a post, but I was prompted by a recent upload to recall a wonderfully deranged Brit/Irish outfit called Stump (great name) - I remember almost pissing myself laughing when I first saw them performing the gem that is Buffalo. A non-PC song about ladies with large posteriors, and not remotely like the Queen track on the same theme. Ahhh, those were the days. Anyone else got stuff like this? Obscure but unforgettable. [more inside] posted by MajorDundee at 12:22 PM PST - 9 comments

Of the songs that my band recorded recently [previously 1 • 2], this is my favorite. It's also the most difficult for us to play. But that's what practice and cheap recording is for, yeah?

posted by not_on_display at 11:29 AM PST - 2 comments

Its been a while! Inspiration struck, and while I was unconscious this is what it recorded. Hope you enjoy it! [more inside]

posted by Admira at 2:39 AM PST - 0 comments

Cover of the Dock Boggs song, on banjo naturally. [more inside]

posted by l2p at 11:31 PM PST - 6 comments

Viola/Tenor sax duet, to be included in our submission to the RPM 2010 challenge. [more inside]

posted by man vs sun at 7:38 PM PST - 5 comments

DMelanogaster and I try the traditional music challenge. Banks of the Ohio is the story of Willie killing his proposal-rejecting lover. (see also Knoxville Girl)

posted by Obscure Reference at 2:01 PM PST - 5 comments

me & the lady. I record everything on an old school mini disc recorder, not to be hip but because I'm poor. [more inside]

posted by Lutoslawski at 2:00 PM PST - 0 comments

Tumbalalaika, a traditional Russian Jewish love song. Generally sung in Yiddish, presented here in English. [more inside]

posted by archivist at 11:50 AM PST - 4 comments

This is a kind of electro-acoustic-surf cover of a song that's been covered to death. The version I know was Bobby Vinton's. [more inside]

posted by Jon-A-Thon at 9:57 AM PST - 2 comments

this song is about the Shambly Man

posted by poppo at 8:13 AM PST - 1 comments

Another RPM album preview, presumably about football? [more inside]

posted by askmeaboutLOOM at 8:43 PM PST - 4 comments

Just a little rhythmic experiment, not actually gamelan but reminiscent.

posted by doctor_negative at 10:46 PM PST - 1 comments

this is about not wanting to hear her sad story; cause I just don't need any trouble myself. You think its dumb or whatever? I think it might be too long. [more inside]

posted by MadRat at 4:39 PM PST - 0 comments

Symphonic Ghosttronica. Fragments of melody frozen in time, clouds of harmonic backdrop moves in the aether. [more inside]

posted by gmm at 3:31 PM PST - 6 comments

The first line of this song is a slightly reworked comment I got on a photo I posted to Flickr. That was the spark that inspired the rest of the song. Oh, and it's a spoken song. Video of this performance at YouTube and Vimeo. [more inside]

posted by flapjax at midnite at 6:56 AM PST - 5 comments

An 18th century sea-shanty from around the time, allegedly, of the Battle of Trafalgar ("Kiss me Hardy....no,no I mean hardly"). Featuring indispensible and splendid contributions from uncleozzy (unhinged Robert Newton-esque vocal and accordion) and chococat (tracked vocal). Now....be careful you don't catch your clewgarnets in your flys... [more inside]

posted by MajorDundee at 2:48 AM PST - 21 comments

For the "Traditional" MefiMusic challenge. In which I get all George Winston-y up in here. [more inside]

posted by dnash at 5:13 PM PST - 6 comments

A synth version of The Ballad of Barbara Allen, with beats and some sampling work. [more inside]

posted by hiteleven at 3:14 PM PST - 1 comments

This is a song about a girl named Sarah Miller and how I associate her with summer time! [more inside]

posted by keithburgun at 11:21 AM PST - 3 comments

The love of two awesome people celebrated [more inside]

posted by frecklefaerie at 8:20 AM PST - 0 comments

This is a simple Rodney Crowell cover song. I have liked the song for the longest time. I did a simple version for the love of the song. My landlord did the leads and fancy parts still simple but was a fun way to spend the day.

posted by american caesar at 12:42 AM PST - 0 comments

A lush electronic meets shoegaze(?) song influenced by a Steve Reich piece. [more inside]

posted by onehalfjunco at 12:35 AM PST - 4 comments

I'm starting in on the final recordings for the album in a month, and I've started with this big epic third track. Still needs work but it's a good start. [more inside]

posted by cortex at 7:42 PM PST - 8 comments

A song I wrote the lyrics for and worked up the melody and progression with the band. Me on ukulele, Jamie singing and on glockenspiel, Justin on guitar, Ella on cello, Tina hitting a a tin. This was recorded before Christmas, again not the most beautiful of recording quality but it gives you a sense of the band's fuller sound with the cello. Any feedback or critique appreciated as always. [more inside]

posted by multivalent at 7:39 PM PST - 2 comments

Sequenced version, using boring presets, via pre-Digital performer via a Mac Classic - of my quartet for flute, alto sax, french horn, and classical guitar. I had not taken orchestration, and had no idea how impossible this was going to be. Another piece from school, 1993. [more inside]

posted by bitterkitten at 5:18 PM PST - 1 comments

Longtime piano player, finally getting started with Garageband, hoping to move up eventually but for now it's what I've got. Looking for tips/sites/books whatever to learn how to better make a song sound "finished." [more inside] posted by dnash at 2:13 PM PST - 20 comments

Fairly heavy, minimalistic, instrumental hip-hop. [more inside]

posted by fuq at 12:50 PM PST - 0 comments

Regarding Christian fundamentalism.

posted by ZenMasterThis at 7:40 PM PST - 0 comments

This month's challenge isn't much of a challenge for someone who plays oldtime music anyway, but I figure I get extra points for recording this American Civil War era tune on my new gourd banjo. [more inside]

posted by usonian at 4:07 PM PST - 3 comments

A short song written by my daughter Zoe (8 years old) [more inside]

posted by mikepop at 5:30 PM PST - 4 comments

This song sounds like a demo for a silly general keyboard that you play in Target to annoy people.

posted by bigmusic at 4:57 AM PST - 2 comments

As it's Valentine's Day, here's a song about love. Well, kind of about love. Actually it's about the end of love, as it fades due to age and fatigue, and the death of romance. Errr...happy Valentine's Day! [more inside]

posted by ZsigE at 4:26 PM PST - 1 comments

This one boiled up from some really honest depths. No matter where I look in my future, there's a radiating presence that my love only knows as one person. Happy Valentine's Day, My Lady Rose. [more inside]

posted by pedmands at 10:28 PM PST - 0 comments

Place your bets, ladies and gents! The fight is about to start! [more inside]

posted by askmeaboutLOOM at 5:49 PM PST - 2 comments

A simple, brooding instrumental piece I wrote last year for an independent documentary - on guitar, bass and some samples. [more inside]

posted by opsin at 10:16 AM PST - 2 comments

Another RPM demo, this one a super-upbeat thing about neurotic fears about what one's ex is getting up to. [more inside]

posted by cortex at 8:31 AM PST - 10 comments

Trawling through my back pages I came across this one. A fairly poxy demo, but.....something there. Strong hook (imo). Given that I'm short on fresh ideas at present, I intend to make this my next project. So.... comments on things like instrumentation, tempo, dynamics, arrangement or anything else would be welcome before I start hacking away at it. [more inside]

posted by MajorDundee at 4:42 PM PST - 3 comments

One for the 'traditional' challenge. [more inside]

posted by micayetoca at 3:35 PM PST - 9 comments

A little synth-folk ditty, with my friend Alaina singing lead. The idea was to write a murder ballad from the woman's perspective.

posted by clcapps at 9:35 AM PST - 1 comments

Virgil's The Aeneid and Coronet Films' The Powers of Congress sampled over a breakbeat, with some chopped-up classical music thrown in. [more inside]

posted by hiteleven at 7:01 AM PST - 2 comments

Back at work as resident composer for a Tokyo fashion house... this time they want four 90-second instrumental spots, for web presentations. Handed this one in to them the other day, but they nixed it: too dramatic, just not right for the project. So, back to the drawing board. Thought I'd put it here, though, so as not to consign it to the Land of Unheard Music.

posted by flapjax at midnite at 9:15 PM PST - 11 comments

My string trio playing one of our signature pieces by G.B. Viotti, the 1st movement to his 'Trio for 2 Violins and Cello' in Bb Major (Op. 19, 1). [more inside]

posted by mythicalbyrd at 7:22 PM PST - 8 comments

This song is about a problem that most people probably won't have in their lives. I'm not sure it even exists. Call it an imaginary cautionary tale. It's not part of FAWM, I just happened to finish it in February. [more inside]

posted by valrus at 9:56 AM PST - 4 comments

This one has a foreboding start, and then the trapdoor into H-E-double-hockey-sticks falls open! [more inside]

posted by not_on_display at 7:59 PM PST - 3 comments

My brand new song. Loud guitars and classic songwriting. I hope you enjoy! Or watch my music video for it HERE. [more inside]

posted by Me, The Snake at 6:27 PM PST - 0 comments

A short but epic song that dares to ask: Is our only hope in this war against the great space darkness the love of an ageless, gender neutral couple? Will their love be enough? [more inside]

posted by The Great Big Mulp at 5:34 PM PST - 10 comments

It snowed today. [more inside]

posted by uncleozzy at 1:43 PM PST - 8 comments

A cool and steady slow-burn about inescapable ancestry and genetic descension. [more inside]

posted by pedmands at 9:23 PM PST - 4 comments

One real tambourine, and a pile of virtual organs [more inside]

posted by bicyclefish at 9:02 PM PST - 5 comments

A deliriously cheerful song of complete misery. [more inside]

posted by Karlos the Jackal at 7:16 PM PST - 7 comments

a cheezy piece I wrote & performed in college as if it were from a vampire musical. Guest vocals by musical theatre student Dina Harrison. Yeah, yeah, everyone's all about the vamps these days, but this was 1993. [more inside]

posted by bitterkitten at 4:47 PM PST - 5 comments

I'm midway through recording my contribution. Appropriately enough for a Brit it's an 18th century sea-shanty - shiver me timbers, arrrr Jim lad, dubloons, Ford Mustangs (just checking you're paying attention at the back). Anyway - I need 3 or 4 lusty-voiced swabs to join me in the chorus. Just a bit of fun and no fancy harmonies - bit like an evening down the pub with 6 pints of ale on board. So shape up there mateys! Anyone up for it send me a note and we'll sort out the logistics. I shall go ahead anyway if there are no takers - through my bitter, bitter tears....... posted by MajorDundee at 11:42 AM PST - 14 comments

Uke-driven boozer's lament. One of the demos I recorded yesterday for my album-in-a-month. [more inside]

posted by cortex at 10:19 AM PST - 8 comments

Another cut from the aforementioned poorly recorded jam session. Cover of Eddie Floyd's "Knock on Wood." [more inside]

posted by ocherdraco at 10:37 PM PST - 4 comments

The old Murder Ballad. [more inside]

posted by chococat at 2:54 PM PST - 12 comments

We're one week in to album-in-a-month February. How's everybody doing? [more inside] posted by cortex at 7:16 AM PST - 10 comments

This is the first song I've ever recorded using real mics instead of my laptops internal mics. Also, first time I've played a bass. [more inside]

posted by Corduroy at 1:42 AM PST - 12 comments

My return to the cumbia-step experimentations. This is crazy, hyper remix of an old cumbia song. [more inside]

posted by cloeburner at 11:18 PM PST - 3 comments

A silly, Ennio Morricone-inspired song featuring a story about a rattlesnake. [more inside]

posted by swellingitchingbrain at 5:07 PM PST - 1 comments

First song posted from our band. Two ukes and a guitar. Feedback appreciated. [more inside]

posted by multivalent at 4:11 PM PST - 7 comments

The acoustic, live version of my song Easy Street. [more inside]

posted by Me, The Snake at 11:03 AM PST - 3 comments

This song is about the Cat which died in the Tree. [more inside]

posted by keithburgun at 10:51 PM PST - 3 comments

Just bought Pro Tools and the Mbox 2. Total beginner. Need to learn how to use it. Now what? [more inside] posted by ORthey at 1:58 PM PST - 6 comments

Been working on this for the last couple of evenings - very very far from complete. I have an idea for a vocal and lyric, but I'm wondering whether with some more work this might be fine as an instrumental or mood piece? Be cool if someone had a piece of film to go with it... Comments very welcome

posted by MajorDundee at 1:41 PM PST - 7 comments

This fast and dirty recording is from the mic on a Sony CyberShot camera. It's no audiophile's dream, for sure, but I just felt like getting some recent jaw harp tunes down to live video the other day, as I had a free hour in a big conference room. The room is definitely present in the recording. Anyway, video of this performance can be seen at YouTube and Vimeo. [more inside]

posted by flapjax at midnite at 11:52 PM PST - 11 comments

It's satirical; calm down. [more inside]

posted by swellingitchingbrain at 8:28 PM PST - 10 comments

Pixies cover, with the debut of my new theremin (and a little bit of my new cowbell). [more inside]

posted by cortex at 3:40 PM PST - 16 comments

Tight lil pop diddy about the time my little brother disappeared on New Years day and turned up two months later in the Dominican Republic. This is the first full song I've done on my new computer, which makes me wicked happy. [more inside]

posted by es_de_bah at 4:34 PM PST - 3 comments

A cover of the Beatles song by the informal band I'm in, recorded very poorly at our last basement jam session. [more inside]

posted by ocherdraco at 6:06 PM PST - 17 comments

A nerdcore track I was commissioned last year for someone who wanted me to write and record a track of Nyarlathotep aka The King In Yellow dissing the Dread Cthulhu. This joint does contain bleeped-out curses. [more inside]

posted by ShawnStruck at 10:34 AM PST - 0 comments

If you are wondering if this is a Mario Kart reference the answer is YES IT SURE IS

posted by CarrotAdventure at 1:24 AM PST - 8 comments